One thousand ill children suffer over ward closure

A THOUSAND ill children have been transferred to a hospital up to 30 miles away from home after the SNP -Government’s failure to reopen a children’s ward. The paediatric ward at St John’s Hospital in Livingston has been closed to out-of-hours inpatients since July 2017 due to medical staff shortages, following two previous shutdowns.

Related articles

“That’s 1,000 families who have had to endure up to 60 miles of travel, stress, delays and expense just to get their children treatment. That is utterly unacceptable – and still happening despite a commitment from the SNP Health Secretary Jeane Freeman that fully reopening the ward was her highest priority. Instead, families in West Lothian look set to have to endure at least 36 months of more closures and failures.

“Far too many families have had to travel past their local hospital to Edinburgh for treatment when they should have been treated in St John’s.

“Jeane Freeman must apologise to those families her government has failed – and work to -reinstate a 24/7 service at the hospital as soon as -possible.”

In her letter, Ms Freeman said that 790 children had required admission as inpatients while 164 were able to be treated and sent home.

SNP Health Secretary Jeane Freeman (Image: NC )

St John’s is 20 miles from the ‘Sick Kids’ in Edinburgh, although as the hospital covers West Lothian and parts of -Lanarkshire many families come from farther afield.

In September, it emerged that 11-month-old Kenzie MacKenzie was taken to St John’s by his mother, Mary, suffering from a high temperature and heart rate.

It took three hours for them to be moved to Edinburgh and the family were later discharged with no transport available at 11pm.

After the case was raised at Holyrood, Ms Freeman said: “This was a distressing time for the family and the board have been left in no doubt that this was unacceptable, and must not be repeated.”

There is cross-party support for the 24/7 service to be restored as quickly as possible, with even SNP backbenchers breaking ranks to criticise the situation.

In February, Nationalist MSP -Gordon MacDonald said lengthy treks to hospital had “a well-documented impact on the wellbeing of children and heavy financial and -emotional cost to families”.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “The interim changes were made in the best interests of local children, to preserve patient safety.

“The Health Board has given assurances that all efforts are being made to recruit medical staff and Advanced Nurse Practitioners to reinstate the full operation of the inpatient unit at St John’s. We will continue to support NHS Lothian to ensure the quickest possible reinstatement of services and the Health Secretary will continue to keep Parliament updated.”